Those of the republican persuasion, look at what changes about +Mitt Romney 's campaign now that he no longer has to worry about the republican votes. Everything will now be a tune to lure independent voters to vote for him, which will by necessity be a very different tune than you are used to.﻿

+Michael Cooke Gingrich has nowhere to go. He has no money, no staff, and he's not even on the ballot in Virginia. It's time for the Republican party to coalesce behind someone if there is a chance to beat Obama in November. The primary process has already taken way longer than it should have.

+Dave Hardee It will certainly be interesting to see what changes. I think Romney has a great track record of being the Independent candidate and I honestly have absolutely no problem with that. I'm sick of the extremes, they are doing more damage to our country than anything else.﻿

+Dave Hardee Granted I'm not a Republican, but those of us who actually take the trouble to read Romney's position papers, rather than just look at sound bites, already know where he is coming from.

For example, his health care position as of a month ago included two paragraphs on why Obamacare needed to be replaced - and five paragraphs on what he would replace Obamacare with. And once he starts emphasizing what he will do - how he will get the government out of the way and help the free market do its job in giving us better health care for less money - I think both conservative Republicans and independents will be happy.

The aspects of his positions that make it into the sound bites may be different, but the underlying positions will be the same ones he has been winning Republican primaries with all along.﻿

+Warren Dew I agree that anyone who has been paying attention and actually doing some digging to find out what these candidates are about will not see very many changes. Unfortunately I am acquainted with far too many people who do not study before developing an opinion, especially when it comes to politics. Those people who only follow at most the sound bites are the ones I am talking to.﻿

I would love to hear if Mr. Romney will combat the Universal Health Care if he wins the GOP nod. As to, at one time he and Mass did support something similar, correct? The fact remains to ME, that, anyone against health care reform has never owned or run their own small business. Small business meaning, under 20 employees. Consider me paying $800 per month for Blue Cross Blue Shield Family - 2nd tier - health insurance as a small business owner. Small businesses have never been able to get "group" rates. Why? Sure, I'm not one for my government to tell me what to do, but please, will someone REFORM the system to make health care affordable for those Americans who want to live the American Dream by owning their own American small business? Mr. Romney, I am sure you can afford health care with your current income. So can I please have the government health care plan you would get as President? Isn't there some way you can turn it over to me and my family who can't afford $800 a month out of our own pockets because insurance companies, doctors, clinics and hosiptals are living high off the dividend hog?﻿

+Roderick Kabel Mitt has already said numerous times in this cycle and for the last several years that he does not agree with the federal healthcare plan and would work to reverse it if he were in office.

Also, one of the biggest complaints about the bill, the individual mandate, he tried to veto in Massachusetts, but was overridden.﻿

+Roderick Kabel Prior to Obamacare, small businesses in Massachusetts had access to high quality health insurance at reasonable rates through a small business group. Romney supports making changes at the federal level to support that approach.﻿

Gov. Romney knows his political and sportsmanship manners. It's a shame more politicians have forgotten theirs! Santorum puts his campaign in suspension. He didn't once say he would support Romney by name today. Sour grapes?﻿

+Marty D'Arcy I noticed that too about Santorum. I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he was too distracted by his daughter's health to think much about the campaign today. I hope he will come around by the convention.﻿

+Warren Dew I know the personal stress of having a family member being ill, Warren, and my heart has been going out to Santorum and his family re: Bella's health issues. I'm sure this has had a big impact on his decision today as well. Santorum is still a force to be reckoned with in the future for the Presidency and age is on his side. He has shown us he is not a quitter but also want him to be true to his party and step up with his support asap. Now it is a "watch and wait" situation to see what he does I guess.﻿

+Warren Dew, I must beg to differ. George Washington, our first president, was unanimously elected twice in a row...and probably would have continued to be elected had he not publicly told America that he would not be participating in public office after the end of his second term. He didn't even campaign, rather he was persuaded to accept it by the American people, against his own personal wishes to live quietly at home. How I wish we had candidates like him running for office today.﻿

+Mitt Romney Only 209 days to go! Congratulations on the great campaign you and your team have run thus far. I wish you a successful and productive presidency. Yes, I'm counting my chickens before they've hatched because I believe you can burst the bubble currently growing in the Whitehouse. It's your time to set things right in Washington.﻿

+Thomas Terence: are you kidding?? He's been waiting MONTHS to get to write this smug little bit of campaign in-your-facery. It does nothing but ensure that no one can come at him with a charge of being a douche-y winner.﻿

people making emotional decisions is at a low. more and more people are demanding facts. when you examine facts - there are only 2 choices for President this go-around. Mitt Romney is not one of them.

Supporting him just says you don't like Obama - not that you actually stand for something. People who do have principles and support him (or anyone else in the GOP) are usually either make emotional decisions, are ignorant of facts or are morally corrupt.

You can't win the Presidency with the "anyone but that guy" mantra filled with lies and misinformation. It's pathetic and it won't work. Only a loud minority of Americans are so easily mislead.﻿

Generally most people identify themselves as Republicans because the pillars of the Republican Party are the same pillars of conservative ideology. These pillars being: Low Taxes, Limited Government, Strong National Defense, and Traditional Social Values.

Now this does not mean that a person has to believe in each of the 4 pillars to call themselves a "Republican." Believing in at least 2 or 3 is really needed through. The Party wants to be, as Reagan called, it "A Big Tent," that included not just those that believe in the 4 pillars, which would be the far right, but also those that still believe in a majority of the 4 pillars, which would be the moderate right leaning independents. Alot of Independents follow the first 3 pillars but are somewhat hesitant to accept the 4th being: Traditional Social Values.

As for your examples, I'm not in total agreement that Reagan and Lincoln can be considered strong moderates. I'll give you; Conservatives with moderate tendencies from time to time, but as far as the following the 4 pillars of conservatism they were mostly spot on. Lincoln did grow the size and power of government, but in my opinion that was only out of the necessity of preserving the Union.﻿

The political center does not want +Mitt Romney, +John Blatzheim. Romney has basically admitted that he lied when he previously run as a liberal moderate. I am betting that the American public does not like being lied to.﻿

+Thomas Terence+John Blatzheim Did he deliver, last time he ran? I mean, if he ran as a liberal moderate, and then governed consistently with the promises he made while campaigning, then he basically delivered on the promises he made. . . and if he's now campaigning on conservative principles, promising e.g. a repeal of the "Affordable Care Act," and cuts in spending, then people should be able to trust those promises. I think the economy of Massachusetts during Romney's term as Governor made a turnaround; knowing how to get things done when the legislature opposes you ideologically is part of good politics (oxymoron! ;) Just giving the fans what they want /wink.﻿

+Rick Santorum has completely different personality than Romney.He is the best V.P. candidate even though they do not get along since they were opponents. If Romney wants to win, he needs to take Santorum as VP as he is the strong candidate behind Romney.

Santorum already said that he would be VP as Romney's running mate if he is chosen. He is not a "Kiss and Tell" personality like others. I am not saying this because I like Santorum, but it is because I believe that he is the one who will help Romney and love to restore America.

I hope that Romney chooses a right person for V.P. as soon as possible so that he can restore America from the Obama nightmare.

I've always been in favor of Mitt and having met him at the Meet and Greet in Harrisburg PA, I couldn't be more excited about his opportunity, nay OUR opportunity, to save our great country from the bumbling amateur currently in the Whitehouse. Go Mitt!﻿

Okay Alexa that is why when Republicans had the majority of time in the white house our country was number one. Everyone loved Reagan a moderate Republican. And Bush 41 until he raised taxes. Because trickle down or voodoo economics works. Making the middle class and upper class pay for entitlements to give money to the lower class does not work. Just look at Bush 43s worst policy it was his prescription drug plan for Medicare that really ran up the debt. And that was pushed on him by a Democratic congress.﻿

No Alexa the big reason unemployment remains so high is because of extended welfare benefits and unemployment benefits. Welfare should be abolished. Social Security should be privatized with your own personal account you pay into. And Medicare and Medicaid should be reformed and privatized. Because the government has done a poor job regulating them.﻿

i don't like Mitt Romney all he is is money hungry all y'all red necks are so races hold up i take that back some of y'all red necks why are y'all so ignerent nobody even did anything to y'all BARRAK OBAMA MADE US FRIENDS WITH IRAQ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so before y'all go to steriotyping on the internet think about what y'all say :( :0﻿